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Head-to-head Updated

Kumho Solus KL21 vs Nexen WinGuard SUV — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 0 + 0 road tests and 14 + 5 owner reviews. How we score

WinGuard SUV is ahead, 66–54

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Kumho Solus KL21
Tire AKumho

Solus KL21

All Season

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 47 · 14 reviews

Nexen WinGuard SUV
Tire BNexen

WinGuard SUV

Winter Touring tires

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 64 · 5 reviews

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 53

    Dry

    WinGuard SUV +13
    66
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KL21WinGuard SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 58 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online4565

    Solus KL21: 60% × 58.2 (est.) + 40% × 44.5 = 53

    WinGuard SUV: 60% × 66.7 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 66

    No road tests of dry for Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

    No road tests of dry for WinGuard SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 57

    Wet

    WinGuard SUV +11
    68
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KL21WinGuard SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 60 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5267

    Solus KL21: 60% × 60.2 (est.) + 40% × 51.6 = 57

    WinGuard SUV: 60% × 68.5 (est.) + 40% × 66.6 = 68

    No road tests of wet for Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

    No road tests of wet for WinGuard SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 52

    Snow

    WinGuard SUV +15
    67
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KL21WinGuard SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 59 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online4164

    Solus KL21: 60% × 59.5 (est.) + 40% × 40.5 = 52

    WinGuard SUV: 60% × 68.3 (est.) + 40% × 64.1 = 67

    No road tests of snow for Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

    No road tests of snow for WinGuard SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 52

    Comfort

    WinGuard SUV +10
    62
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KL21WinGuard SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 64 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online4458

    Solus KL21: 40% × 64.5 (est.) + 60% × 43.8 = 52

    WinGuard SUV: 40% × 67.1 (est.) + 60% × 58.1 = 62

    No road tests of comfort for Solus KL21 or WinGuard SUV. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    66
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KL21WinGuard SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online–66

    WinGuard SUV: 60% × 66.6 (est.) + 40% × 65.8 = 66

    No road tests of noise for WinGuard SUV. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 56

    Treadwear

    WinGuard SUV +9
    65
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KL21WinGuard SUV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 60 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)
    Reviews found online5064

    Solus KL21: 60% × 60.5 (est.) + 40% × 49.9 = 56

    WinGuard SUV: 60% × 65.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.4 = 65

    No road tests of treadwear for Solus KL21. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

    No road tests of treadwear for WinGuard SUV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 44

    Handling (owners)

    WinGuard SUV +13
    57
    Why this score
    SourceSolus KL21WinGuard SUV
    Reviews found online4457
Scores at a glance
CategoryKumho Solus KL21Nexen WinGuard SUV
Relative Score 54 66
Dry 53 66
Wet 57 68
Snow 52 67
Comfort 52 62
Noise – 66
Treadwear 56 65
Handling (owners) 44 57

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Solus KL21

± 8

WinGuard SUV

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A Solus KL21

Pros

  • Impressive treadwear and longevity reported by many users, with several achieving over 30,000 to 40,000 miles
  • Good ride comfort and low road noise under normal driving conditions
  • Affordable replacement pricing compared to premium tier brands

Cons

  • Extremely poor grip and significantly increased braking distances on fresh or compact snow and ice
  • Isolated reports of extreme premature wear or complete tread failure under 20,000 miles
  • Structural deformation issues reported by at least one user
All owner themes in the Solus KL21 review

Tire B WinGuard SUV

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in hard winter conditions, snow, and ice
  • Confident handling and performance when towing heavy loads up steep hills
  • Quiet and comfortable ride quality on the road

Cons

  • Limited long-term mileage data available from reviewers, as many users drive low annual miles
  • Availability in certain niche tire sizes may be limited
All owner themes in the WinGuard SUV review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Kumho Solus KL21 B · Nexen WinGuard SUV
CategoryAll SeasonWinter Touring tires
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverSUV and 4x4
Sizes available525
Rim diameters17″ – 20″15″ – 19″
Tread depth—13/32″
Treadwear warranty—30,000 mi
Sidewall—Blackwall
Max pressure—50 psi
Sizes in common22

Which one should you actually buy?

Kumho Solus KL21

Nexen WinGuard SUV

Winner: Nexen WinGuard SUV — better snow, dry and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score. Kumho Solus KL21 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 14 reviews), so read this result as provisional. Nexen WinGuard SUV rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Nexen WinGuard SUV scores 67 vs 52 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Nexen WinGuard SUV scores 66 vs 53 on dry.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Nexen WinGuard SUV scores 57 vs 44 on handling.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Nexen WinGuard SUV scores 68 vs 57 on wet.

Tire A · Kumho Solus KL21
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Tire B · Nexen WinGuard SUV
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Solus KL21 or WinGuard SUV?

Which is better in the wet, Solus KL21 or WinGuard SUV?

Nexen WinGuard SUV, 68 vs 57 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Solus KL21 or WinGuard SUV?

Nexen WinGuard SUV, 66 vs 53 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Solus KL21 or WinGuard SUV?

Nexen WinGuard SUV, 67 vs 52 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Solus KL21 or WinGuard SUV?

Nexen WinGuard SUV, 62 vs 52 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Solus KL21 or WinGuard SUV?

Nexen WinGuard SUV, 65 vs 56 on our treadwear score.

How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology